


Family

by SABATHco



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, Family, Friendship, Multi, Pre-Dragon Age: Inquisition, Triggers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-18
Updated: 2015-06-18
Packaged: 2018-04-04 23:28:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4157013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SABATHco/pseuds/SABATHco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How Kaaras and Aith met. Pre-Inquisition, AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family

Family.

Characters: Kaaras Adaar, Aith Lavellan.  
Pre-Inquisition  
Warning: Contains angst, mentions of sexual abuse, gore, adult themes.

The markets were filled with enthusiastic merchants and buyers. Fresh foods, new weapons, clothes stores. It was no city market, but Kaaras had never been to a city in his life. He couldn’t remember having a childhood home at all. His parents moved around a lot. They said that there were bad people out there, people who could look just like them, as well as the humans, dwarves and elves that roamed Ferelden. He always had to be careful in who he spoke to.  
He knew he’d been born in the Free Marches, but he remembered nothing of it. He was much too little when they’d moved, and ever since, they kept on moving. It was only when he was five years old when they stopped and settled. He’d come into his magic then, and his parents had explained that although dangerous, he needed to train to keep it under control. That was five years ago.  
He’d escaped his parents a few minutes back as they were trading ram wool for a few silvers. They weren’t wealthy, but the ram wool gave them enough to live. Their house was small. It had a kitchen, which was also the main living and lounge-room, and then an upstairs area, which his parents used, and another small room downstairs, which was his bedroom.  
Stepping out of the crowd, he ran towards the trees, getting away from all the constant noise. Even though he was taller than everyone else his age, he was still shorter than most of the adults, and he couldn’t stand being smothered in between all those eager bodies.  
Stopping, he panted a little, looking around. He could still hear the noise of the crowd, but it was much softer. Instead, the birds and other wildlife now surrounded him. Much better. He moved towards the river that was a few metres away, crouching down and cupping the water into his hands to splash it onto his face.  
It would have been perfect, if it weren’t for the red hue he saw in the water. Looking up, he saw there was blood on some of the trees. A wounded animal? He stood back up, looking around.  
“Hello…?” he asked, his voice soft. “Is someone there? A-are you hurt?” He moved towards the blood, and he could hear something huffing. Someone… crying? He moved forward cautiously, and behind the tree, he could see torn clothes. There was blood on them, and on the small, thin legs that showed from behind the tree. Andraste, it was a girl!

The elf hugged herself at the sight and sound of someone else. Her large, green eyes were glistening with tears, her blonde hair messed and ragged. “Stay away!” she barked, putting her hands out.

Kaaras stopped and looked at her. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said, putting his hands up in defence. “I’m Kaaras. Kaaras Adaar.”

The elf looked up at his soft voice. He was tall… looked strange. He had horns that came from his head, like a goat. She only hugged herself again, her hand still at the ready in case he started towards her.

“You’re bleeding,” said the young Vashoth. He went to try and help her, but stopped when he saw the fire ignite around her palm. “Y-you’re a mage, too?”

The green eyes pierced the boy’s, and she looked at him angrily, before her brows arched a little. Too? He was a mage also? She let the fire disappear and put her hand down, her body aching. Her insides burned and hurt, like nothing she’d felt before. Even if she wanted to hurt him, she just couldn’t. She didn’t have the energy in her to use her magic as a weapon anymore.  
“You’re a mage?” she asked. Better than a Templar. Maybe he was nice… Did the Templars try and hurt him, too?

Kaaras nodded. He lifted his hand and a swirl of snow appeared in his palm, like a miniature storm.

“Did they kick you out, too?”

Kick him out? Of what? Kaaras’ expression twisted a little. His parents told him very little why they moved around, they only said that he’d understand later. He didn’t meet many Qunari on the road, and others often looked at him and spat on the floor, or whispered mean things, like he was a savage who needed to be on a leash. He just assumed it was because he looked different to everyone else around here.  
“No,” he shrugged. “I mean… I look different. I was born North, but… I don’t really remember it. It was a long time ago for me now. What’s your name? Why are you out here? Why are you bleeding?”

So many questions only made the young girl’s head spin. She lowered her hand and groaned a little. She was getting tired. She’d only escaped the Templars about an hour ago, and she’d made her way here, running all the way. She didn’t know where she was, or how far away she was from home. Well, it wasn’t really home anymore, was it? Her clan had kicked her out. She was one too many mages. They couldn’t take her, so she was to live out here like an animal and fed for herself. If she made it, the Creators blessed her. If not… it was her time.  
“I’m Aith… from clan Levellan,” she murmured, her teeth gritting for a moment as another bout of pain shot through her.

Kaaras crouched down. “Come on, I’ll take you back and get some help. I can’t leave you out here…” When he went to touch her, she flinched and backed away. “I just want to help… I promise I won’t hurt you. I’m a mage remember. If I wanted to, I already would have.”

She didn’t know what it was, but there was something in his voice that seemed so honest compared to the Templars’. He seemed genuine. Why would another mage hurt her? He wore no armour, no crest. And he was right. He would have hurt her already, she supposed.   
“I can’t walk,” she said, her voice soft. She wiped her face down, grit covering it from where she’d been pressed into the ground, her lip swollen and red.

The boy gave a small laugh. “That’s okay, I can carry you!” he said almost too enthusiastically. He was tall enough, and she was very small and thin. Much smaller than a human. Surely she couldn’t be too heavy for him.  
When she finally nodded, he helped her up and let her lean against him. Her legs were weak and she almost fell, but he grabbed her into his arms and held her up. That way she could rest. When his mother had been tired and sick, his father had carried her just the same way. Said she needed all the energy she had.  
He stumbled a few times as he couldn’t see all the roots that were popping out of the soil, but he didn’t drop her. He skipped the markets and went directly home. He’d been around the woods long enough to know his way around. He came out here often to practice his magic while his mum and dad weren't keeping an eye on him. He was determined to be a good mage.  
He knew his parents would worry, but it wasn’t his concern at the moment. Whoever this girl was, she needed help. He didn’t quite understand why his parents worried so much about him being off on his own. He had no idea Ben-Hassrath spies could be out there, waiting to kidnap him and re-educate him. His parents hadn’t told him that yet.  
When he arrived home, he went around the back and snuck in through the window as the door was locked and his parents had the keys. It wasn’t anything fancy, in fact, it was an abandoned house that they’d just fixed up and made liveable.  
“Stay here,” he said, putting her down before he’d crawled through the window. He opened the door from the inside and then went back out, Aith weakly attempting to pull herself up. “Don’t push yourself, I’ve got you.”

She felt helpless. But she was too weak to argue. Instead, Aith allowed the odd looking boy to help her up, and she was eventually on a soft bed, covered in ram wool.

As he put her on the bed, he took a step back, feeling a little awkward. “Um… do you want a bath or anything? I mean, I can put some water in the tub. It’s just out the back.”

Aith suddenly felt exposed and she shook her head. She wanted a bath bad, she wanted to scrub the filth from her body, but she was also too embarrassed and shy. She didn’t understand what was truly done to her, just that she was sore and those men hurt her in private areas. Areas that made her feel disgusting on the inside and out.  
She was going to speak when there was sudden shouting, making her lean up in shock and back away.

“Oops…” Kaaras mumbled to himself, his parents barging through the door.

“Kaaras! Where are you!?”

He quickly ran from the room and out before they came in here and saw that there was a girl in his room. He may be young, but he was old enough to know that this was a strange situation, and he was a little confused in how to deal with it.  
“Where have you been!?” his mother asked, running to him and grabbing his cheeks. She pulled him tight and he gave an awkward noise.  
“Mum, it’s okay! I was just playing in the woods.”

Lady Aban Adaar frowned looking at her son seriously. “You know not to run off by yourself.” Her voice was stern. But her eyes soon left her son as she saw a white dress, torn on a small girl. She stood up, looking between the two.

“I-it wasn’t his fault. Please don’t be mad,” Aith said, her voice barely a whisper at the sight of the much taller people in the room. They resembled Kaaras, only the woman had long white hair, her horns long and back, the man had, just like Kaaras, ram-like horns, his hair a deep blood orange.

Anaan looked to his wife. “Kaaras, who is this?” he asked, “and what happened?”

“I found her like that, in the woods… I… I wanted to help,” the youngling said, his voice small as he fiddled his hands like he’d done something he wasn’t supposed to.

“Oh, darling, I’m sorry,” the Vashoth woman murmured. She felt guilty for having gone off at her son at his disappearance, and yet he was doing something so noble, to help a stranger. An elf girl who couldn’t be any older than seven or eight.  
“I’m Lady Aban Adaar, and this is Anaan Adaar. Where are you parents?” she asked, kneeling down to the girl. She backed away for a moment, and stepped towards the boy in the room, grabbing his shoulders. It appeared that he’d somehow imprinted on her, and become some kind of protective barrier for her.  
“It’s alright,” she cooed, her voice motherly, “We won’t hurt you. What’s your name, child?”

Aith was timid, but when she felt the boy take her hand, she felt safe, and somehow stronger. “Aith Lavellan… I… I don’t have any parents. Not anymore,” she said, looking down. “Are you mages, like Kaaras?”

Anaan shook his head, looking at Kaaras. “Kaaras is a mage, but we whole heartedly support him. Are you a mage?” he asked, getting the idea now. Was she a mage from a Dalish clan? Was she one of the people who just couldn’t make it, and thus they tossed her out to the wolves to see if she could survive by herself? The nerve of those elves! She had parents, but they didn’t deserve such a girl! Adaar couldn’t stand the thought of anyone abandoning their child.

Again, Aith looked at Kaaras for confirmation that it would be okay. She nodded, squeezing his hand in fear that they would get angry, just like the Templars.

Both parents shared a worried glance. “That’s enough, we can talk about this later,” said Lady Adaar, standing back up. “Aith, how would you like to get some new clothes? Clean yourself up a little bit and get this mess from your hair?” she asked, her voice soft.

“Can Kaaras come?”

Lady Adaar gave a gentle smile. “If that’s what you want, of course, dear. Anaan, can you please get me some of Kaaras’ old clothes?” Her husband nodded before heading out of the room, understanding this may require a more feminine person to handle the young girl.

The girl was ushered outside where the tub was in an old shack. She was hesitant to remove her clothes, and only did so when she was fully submerged by the water—which had been heated with magic. It would have taken longer by fire and kettle, but she helped Kaaras with the warming, which had helped her relax a little.  
The water was soothing to her bruised muscles and skin. She wrapped her arms around herself in the large tub, feeling strange. She didn’t even know these people, and they were taking care of her. She didn’t know how to feel. She felt overwhelmed by emotion, and when Lady Adaar started to wash her down with a sponge, she couldn’t stop the tears from running down her cheeks.

“Shh, it’s alright, darling,” soothed the mother, gently washing the sponge down the thin arm. “You’re safe now. We won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Th-they hurt me…” Aith whimpered, tucking her knees against her flat chest. “They called me names… knife-ear…” Her hair stuck to her face and her lips trembled.

Lady Adaar watched the girl shake, looking over her body. The evidence was clear. “Who did this to you?” she asked, but Aith shook her head, as if she didn’t want to remember. “It’s okay, we’ll find out who did this and lock them away.” And by lock them away, she meant she would get her husband to kill them with his bare hands for ever taking advantage of such a young girl!

“You can’t lock them away,” Aith murmured, looking up from her knees. Her lips tightened as she looked at her now clean hands. “… I killed them.”

Kaaras, who was sitting with his back turned, looked over his shoulder. “Mum…?” he asked.

Lady Adaar shook her head in the direction of her son, though. “Kaaras, please get those clothes off your father.”

Twisting his lips, the young Qunari did as he was asked, pushing himself to his feet. When he went inside, his father asked how it was going. “I don’t understand. What happened to her?” he asked, taking the clothes. They were going to be much too big for Aith, he didn’t need to be an adult to know that much.

Anaan crouched down to his son, putting a hand to his shoulder. “Do you like Aith?” he asked.

Kaaras nodded enthusiastically. “She’s my friend.” Despite the fact that they’d only met so little ago.

“Sometimes, Kaaras… people do terrible things to people who are smaller than them. Bad things that should never be done to someone. But you will look after her, take care of her, yes? Aith might be scared for a while. She’ll need a strong person like you to take care of her.”

“I can be strong!” He puffed his chest out.

Anaan gave a light chuckle. “Yes, you can be,” he said, bumping his head into the younger Qunari. “And one day, when Aith is ready to tell you what happened to her, she will. She will trust you. It might take until your horns are grown out, but you will be okay with that. Can you do that for me?”

Kaaras pursed his lips together and nodded. “Yes, ser.” 

“Good boy.” Adaar leant down and planted a kiss onto his son’s forehead, scruffing his overgrown blonde hair with his hand. “Go on, give these to your new friend. She’ll feel much safer with them on.”

Kaaras took the clothes and ran back outside. A towel was covering Aith now, and his mother was tending to her. He stepped up and put his arms out. “Here.”

Aith looked at the large clothes in the boy’s hands.

“I know they’re going to be quite large, but hopefully we will be able to get something for you tomorrow at the markets. Something more fitting,” Lady Adaar reassured with a soft smile. “Hope you don’t mind wearing boy’s clothes.”

The elf shook her head. She got dressed in the baggy pants and shirt that dropped down past her knees while the woman held the towel for her so no one could see her naked body. Lady Adaar then wrapped a rope around the pants so they wouldn’t slip down her hips (or lack thereof). She was then ushered back into the house and a fire was started in the main room.

Kaaras sat on the floor, watching the girl as his parents were at the other side of the room, in the kitchen, discussing things amongst themselves. It was obvious they were talking about Aith. What to do with her. His hearing was spot on.  
“You killed people. Are you going to kill us, too?” he asked, Aith looking down at her lap. She was quiet, but he figured she was just tired.

Aith felt her chest hitch as she looked at the boy across from her. Why would he say something like that? “You’re my friend, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” said the boy with a small smile, “but… why did you kill them?” He was just curious. 

“They hurt me.”

“They made you bleed?” He shifted and moved a little closer to her. “I won’t let anyone else make you bleed. I will look after you.” His words were honest.

Aith looked back down at her hands, and couldn’t help herself from giggling a little. “You know, you look like a ram. What are you?”

“I’m a Qunari,” Kaaras said. “I don’t know many… just my parents. Sometimes I see other people like me, but not very often. I know you’re an elf. I can tell by your ears. How old are you?”

“Seven,” Aith said, looking up as she tucked her hair over her ears, as if to hide them. “How old are you?”

“Ten. So… you can do magic, too? What can you do?” he asked, moving over a little more.

Aith felt her shoulders relax a little in the warmth of the fire. “I-I don’t know. I only just knew I had magic yesterday. M-my clan…” She stopped, looking down.

“That’s okay,” the young boy said with a friendly smile, “we can learn together. I have a trainer. She helps me control my magic. She’s called Saarebas. She’s like me as well, but… she doesn’t let me know about my kind. She says it’s not her place.”

“A K-Kanari?”

“Qunari,” Kaaras said with a boyish giggle.

Aith only giggled back before she heard Kaaras’ parents come back over. The both of them looked up and Kaaras stood, but she quickly grabbed onto his hand so he wouldn’t leave her.

“Aith, you have no family to return to, is that correct?” asked Lady Adaar. Aith nodded. “We may not have much, but as long as you need, you can stay here.”

Kaaras looked between his mum and dad. “Really!? Cool!”

A soft chuckle came from Anaan’s throat. “If that’s what you want, Aith. We will be here for you.” It didn’t take much of a debate to come to the decision that Aith could stay. Neither he or his wife could just throw a girl back into the woods to fend for herself. If, one day, she wished to go back to her clan, then they would not hold her back. They made only little with the ram wool they sold, but if they could support her and keep her from dying in the wilderness, they would make that sacrifice.

Aith pulled herself to her feet and nodded. She didn’t know what to say. She just felt tears running down her cheeks once more.

“Alright, welcome to the Adaar family,” said the taller male with a soft expression. “Kaaras, I hope you don’t mind sharing? Come on, I think we should all head to bed. I’ll get you some blankets. Is there anywhere you’d like to sleep?”

“I don’t mind sleeping out here,” Kaaras said, his parents looking at him. “Aith can have my bed.”

Lady Adaar put a hand to her chest as she looked at the two. Her son would give up a bed for a complete stranger just so she would feel more comfortable? She felt her heart lift in pride of her boy.  
“Come on, I will get you some clean blankets.” She extended her hand for Aith to take, and she took it hesitantly, walking towards the room where she had first stayed. She got the bed ready and put her down, brushing her now clean hair out of her face to see her green eyes.  
“If you need anything, we will be right upstairs, alright?” she said with a gentle smile, her hand caressing the small cheek.

Aith nodded, her hands tight on the woolly blankets.

“Sleep well, darling.” Lady Adaar put a candle onto the table beside the thin mattress and stood, walking from the room. Heading into the main room of the house, she saw Kaaras lying in front of the fire, having made a small bed of blankets to sleep on.  
Walking over, she crouched down and put her hand to his head. “I’m proud of you, Kaaras,” she whispered. “Sleep well, okay? And if Aith needs anything and is too scared to tell us, please let us know.”

“Okay, mum. Love you,” the youngling said. She gave him a small peck on the forehead and tucked him in before he heard her footsteps go up the stairs. The fire kept the room lit, and he closed his eyes to go to sleep.  
After a few minutes, he heard small footsteps from the other room, and he leant up, Aith standing in the doorway of his bedroom.

“Can I sleep with you?” asked the elven girl.

Kaaras moved over on the blankets, and she ran to his side, curling up against him underneath the wool. She didn’t leave his side the whole night.

**Author's Note:**

> Some explaining on the two Inquisitor names. Kaaras is my Inquisitor/headcanon, Aith was my second playthrough, but I decided that I really enjoyed the relationship between them, and this is when they first met. Obviously Aith was not at the Conclave when it happened [that's more like an AU of my headcanon]. I wanted to write how they met, though, and how they became a family. Ever since, they have been quite inseparable. I haven't mentioned her in all my other DA fics, but she is a main part of Kaaras' life. I will also have to write when she reunite at Skyhold. Also, Aith's background has nothing to do with the one given in DA:I... I've pretty much created a whole new background for her, which was explained in this. 
> 
> Just some family fluff, though. Enjoy! :)


End file.
